Moving Ahead With Guidelines To Control Indoor Mold Contamination

July 2, 2007

Science Daily — Amid growing public concern about mold contamination of homes

and its associated health effects, a new study is recommending policy approaches

for controlling mold in homes that could be used on local and nationwide bases.

It is scheduled for publication in the July 15 issue of ACS’ Environmental

Science and Technology, a semi-monthly journal.

The study, done by Felicia Wu, Tom Biksey, and Meryl H. Karol compares policies

for regulation of mold with those previously developed to regulate two other

contaminants in the indoor environment, radon and lead. While federal, state,

and local agencies have policies and regulations concerning radon and lead, few

state or local policies have been developed for mold and no federal agency has

Congressional authority to regulate or develop indoor mold policy, the study

points out.

Based on lessons from radon and lead, the researchers recommend policy

approaches for controlling indoor mold that rely on building and housing codes,

maintenance and rehabilitation regulations, home marketing incentives, and

public education on moisture and mold control.

“While it is not yet feasible to develop standards and regulations for

acceptable mold levels in the home, guidelines and policies can be developed at

the federal, state, and local levels to control moisture and mold in homes,” the

report states.

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by American

Chemical Society.

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